The Study of Latin, an Historical Study. In Three Parts: Part I

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25c. a Year

Devoted to The

rligli-Sahool-CoIIege

Entrance

Scholarship Fund

The New York

Latin Leaflet

Entered at the Post Office in Brooklyn as second-class matter, October so, 1000

23 Issue*

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Every Subscription

goes into the
Scholarship Fund

Vol. II

Brooklyn, New York, December 2, 1901

No. 32

TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Arthur S Somers, Central Board of Education
Nicholas Murray Butler, College Entrance Examination Board
Frederick D Mollenhauer, Mollenhauer Sugar Refinery

Our New Trustee: Scholarship and Leaflet
Patrons

Dr Nicholas Murray Butler, Acting Presi-
dent of Columbia University, has kindly ac-
cepted a Trusteeship of the High School Col-
lege Entrance Scholarship Fund in the place
of Dr William E Waters, who has withdrawn
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to devote himself to scholastic work. This
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contributors.

Professor Hale Will Address The Latin Club

It is an unusual pleasure to be able to an-
nounce that Professor William Gardner Hale,
Head of the Latin Department in Chicago
University, has accepted the invitation to ad-
dress The New York Latin Club at its next
meeting, Dec 21, 1901, at 12 m. The place
will be announced in the next issue of The
Leaflet.

The Study of Latin, an Historical Study
In Three Parts : Part I

Years ago, when the studies of Archaeology
and of Epigraphy were in their infancy, a war
was waged by the adherents of the strictly
grammatical view of philology against the new-
fangled conception of antiquity as the knowl-
edge of ancient Life and not of ancient Texts.
For a long time the fight raged unabated, but
it finally came to an end, like all progressive
movements, by means of a compromise. The

accuracy of the grammatical method was
adopted by the Epigraphist and the Archaeolo-
gist ; while the study of ancient literature re-
ceived a stimulus and new impetus from the
broadened view, begotten by a close study of
the direct witnesses from ancient times.

To-day that war is being waged again,
though in an altered form. Condemn mate-
rialism as much as we please, this much it has
done for us: we can no longer proudly spurn
all attacks upon our teaching. The question
has been asked, and will be asked again : What
good does the study of Latin do to the individ-
ual? In what way does it elevate him to a
higher, and better, plane of life ? What is its
relation to the demands of our own nation ?

Some, probably despairing of a satisfactory
answer to these inopportune inquiries, have
said that the study of Latin and Greek, as of
highly inflectional languages, is essentially a
training of the mind, or they have seen the
same advantage in the beautiful logic of syn-
tactical structure. To these, and justly so,
the question has been addressed : Why not
take Sanskrit instead? Nor can it be said
that other subjects taught in school do not
occupy the same position, or do not have the
same value for mental training, as Latin or
Greek.

Other defendants have pleaded that the lit-
erary value of the masterworks of Classical
Literature surpasses everything in the literary
treasure-house of the world, or at least, is an
indispensable and integral part of the culture
to be imparted in school. These might be
told, and they have been so informed not infre-
quently, that this aim can as easily, nay, better
and with less loss of time and toil, be accom-
plished by putting good and exemplary trans-
lations into the hands of the pupil. They
really undermine their own intrenchments.

Shall we, then, surrender and deny the cul-
tural value of the study of Classics ? Or shall
we seek new ground on which to build our
foundations? There can be no doubt which
position to take, since H Usener's address on
Philology and History, in which this great
scholar defines the proper relation of Philology
to History as that of a handmaiden ; the his-

2

THE LATIN LEAFLET

torian builds on quicksand who does not use
the safe and tried methods of grammatical
criticism, elaborated by the conscientious labor
of over 2000 years ; but, on the other hand, the
philologist is of no value who sees the aim of
his life in the restoration of an ancient text or
in the semasiology of a preposition, unmind-
ful that all his endeavors must be directed
towards the end of clearing up historical prob-
lems or of pointing out new and unsolved
questions.

But is not the insight into the problems of
ancient History merely a theoretical joy, and
of no value whatever for our modern life?
Another scholar, Professor Poehlman, in his
essays on "Antiquity and Our Times", has
already discussed this point. He tries to
show that the simple conditions of ancient
life make an insight into the moving causes
especially easy ; and that the application of the
moral taught by them is of great value for
judging phenomena of our days. Without
accepting all of his tenets, I shall take up a
few examples, independently chosen, to illus-
trate his point.

A question which begins to confront us, as
it has already confronted England, is that of
the supposed perils accompanying individual,
unrestricted ownership in land. Of course,
one cannot discuss Single Tax in a school.
But it is perfectly possible to call the student's
thoughtful attention to the conditions that led
up to the revolution of the Gracchi, the dic-
tatorship of a Marius and a Sulla, and to the
establishment of the monarchy ; and to do this
in an impartial and unbiased manner. The
question of a money-standard receives much
light from a discussion of the Solomon refor-
mation of currency ; even the problem of im-
perialism might become easier by a serious
discussion of the Bellum Gallicum.

To turn to more academic questions, the
problems of a higher and a lower civilization
confronting each other, and colliding or com-
promising, can be illustrated by the same
Caesar's report of his relations to the Gauls, or
by the gradual absorption of Greek thought
'into the Roman character.

If it were possible to teach History in a
'more satisfactory way in our schools, if Rome
and Greece could occupy more than the one
short year allotted to them, there might be no
need to emphasize this side of the study of
antiquity. As it is, however, most of the lines
connecting antiquity with the Twentieth Cen-
tury must be drawn during the hours given to
Latin and Greek instruction. It is also my

conviction that both the Department of His-
tory and that of Classics will be benefited, if
the teaching of Roman and of Greek History
shall be combined with that of the correspond-
ing languages, while the teacher of History
proper shall teach about the Middle Ages and
modern times in closest conjunction with the
Department of English. Of course this makes
it necessary that the teacher of Classics shall
have historical training; but that follows from
the bent of my discussion and may be spoken
of in another place. It also requires that
there shall be one Department of Classics, in-
stead of the two Latin and Greek Departments.

If the value of any one study in a course of
education shall be estimated by its relation to
and by its fruitfulness for modern life, I think
Classics have sufficiently established their
claim to be classed among the indispensable
studies. The pursuit of Latin, it seems to me,
assumes now much more dignity than if it
were taken up merely for acquiring a mastery
in English or for the training of the intellect.
In my opinion the study of Classics forms
one continuous uninterrupted whole the chief
goal of which is a clear insight into the history
of antiquity and its basic relation to our mod-
ern civilization. It must embrace, therefore,
not only the literary masterworks of both na-
tions but also an acquaintance with their insti-
tutions, their geography, their private life,
their art, their religion ; in fine, with every fea-
ture in which the spirit of Hellas and Rome
has expressed itself and by which our own life
has been and continues to be moulded.

Now, I am well aware that this edifice, as
planned by me, must remind you of those
beautiful structures which young architects
like to draw when competing for a traveling
scholarship, untrammelled by all real condi-
tions of sites and money-appropriation. Of
course, what I have said is the ideal postulate,
probably unattainable like all ideals and yet
never to be given up, always to be aspired to.
Just as the social reformer must work for a
gradual improvement within his small circle,
if he wants to see practical results, yet must
bear in mind an ideal state of society towards
whose realization his efforts are directed, even
if centuries shall have passed before it will be
realized, so the teacher of Latin and Greek
must bear in his mind the ideal picture of the
continuity of history as the goal towards which
all his efforts are to be directed, even though
he can never hope to reach it. Ernst Riess

The exigencies of our space compel an abrupt conclusion. — Eds.